1.3.16

"I heard the broadcast. You should be congratulated on your contribution. It was certainly more enjoyable than a man describing the photographs he'd taken on the wireless." (Brian Bennison, North East Laboury History Society).

I WILL SING OF MY OWN NEWCASTLE

sing of my home citysing of a true geordie heartsing of a river swell in mesing of a sea of the cannysing of the newcastle day

sing of a history of poetrysing of the pudding chare rain sing of the puddles and clartssing of the bodies of sailorssing of the golden sea

sing of our childrens’ laughtersing of the boats in our eyessing of the bridges in sunshinesing of the fish in the tynesing of the lost yards and the pits

sing of the high level railwaysing of the love in my facesing of the garths and the castlesing of the screaming lassessing of the sad on the side

sing of the battles’ remainssing of the walls round our dreamssing of the scribblers and dribblerssing of the scratchers of livingssing of the quayside night

sing of the kicks and the kissessing of the strays and the chancerssing of the swiggers of alesing of the hammer of memorysing of the welders’ revenge

sing of a battered townscapesing of a song undergroundsing of a powerless wastelandsing of a buried bardsing of the bones of tom spence

sing of the cocky bastardssing of a black and white tidesing of the ferry boat leavingsing of cathedral bells cryingsing of the tyneside skies

sing of my mother and fathersing of my sister’s kindnesssing of the hope in my stridesing of a people’s passionsing of the strength of the wind